Unlimited Cellular (UC) now delivers a more flexible third-party IT maintenance. UC can now customize the manufacturer’s agreement to fit specific SLA requirement. As a third-party provider, UC’s maintenance costs are cheaper than Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement. Moreover, a larger variety of equipment is supported. Variety of vendors can bundle into a single maintenance contract. This will reduce bookkeeping costs and eliminates the renewal treadmill.

What is OEM?

OEM is a company that produces parts and equipment that may be promoted and sold by another manufacturer. Those manufacturers now resell another company's product under their own name and branding.  Original Equipment Manufacturer hardware and software is packed for distribution to companies who create systems. These companies are the OEMs. Consequently, products are usually sold in a generic box or wrapper instead of retail packaging.

Producers OEM and authorized distribution channels disseminate other versions of the manufactured product. OEM products are the same quality as the retail version most of the time. However, warranties may be different and the manual may not be included as well as the cables and connectors. Usually, OEM purchases large quantities in bulk for mass-production of pre-built systems.

OEM Maintenance Contracts vs. Third Party Maintenance

Most companies that purchased new equipment also signed up for OEM maintenance agreements. Those are the ones who are used to OEM agreements and feel safe with them. OEM contracts are appealing because they made the product after all. It issues software and firmware updates and it has a strong international presence with durable engineering resources.

On the other hand, an OEM’s size can become unwieldy. OEMs impose a strict set of one-size-fits-all SLAs. Escalations can also be cumbersome and frustrating. OEMs have very limited multi-vendor support leaving you with the inefficiencies and bookkeeping costs of managing multiple OEM contracts. The worst part is support costs can dramatically shoot up. Manufacturers want companies to upgrade their equipment to the latest model. We all know that hardware refreshes are costly.

Third party maintenance saves 30-70% of that support cost. Those support vendors can even have an OEM-level certification and training across many manufacturers. Cross-training allows you to implement a one-stop-shop maintenance solution. All equipment is also put into one maintenance agreement. By doing so, recertification fees or lapses in coverage are not required. Third party agreements are also as simple as next-business-day parts replacement.

On the downside, supporting latest-generation equipment is not the strong suit of this kind of contract. Third-parties excel at maintaining N-1 and older equipment but their pricing on brand new equipment costs more than the OEMs. OEMs will often subsidize their maintenance contracts for the first couple years, unlike third-party vendors. Finally, third-party companies may have limited access to software patches and firmware upgrades.

Why Choose Unlimited Cellular as a Third Party Maintenance Provider

Unlimited Cellular offers solutions that are directed to what your company needs. We got excellent IT support and hardware maintenance service at a price much lower than what OEM offers. Contact us now at 845-625-2094.